The Journey: Part 1
by RJTruth85
Summary: Life was not as easy as people might think. No one asked her if she wanted to be the Avatar. No one understood, even if they claimed they did, no one knew how it felt, how much it hurt. It was a good thing she was a strong person, but what happened to her that made her so strong? How did Korra become Korra?


**Disclaimer: Don't own Legend of Korra and do not claim any rights to it or the characters and settings**

**Note: This is merely the prologue/intro**

* * *

Chapter 1: Prologue

No one knew how hard she'd had it. How quickly she'd had to grow up. The responsibility and expectations that had been forced on her. People might think that being the Avatar was an easy thing and might look down on her for complaining, but they really didn't know. At four years old she had been discovered as the new Avatar. She may have been a proud youngster and had been excited to find out what she was. But if she had realized what she would be put through, she wouldn't have been so proud.

Tonraq and Senna, Korra's parents, were also faced with much difficulty. Before Korra, they had gone through many struggles. First of all, Tonraq's parents disliked Senna . . . no that would be putting it nicely, they DESPISED Senna. So there were many feuds and conflicts concerning their marriage. Then there was also the matter of children. Senna had given birth to two children before Korra. Neither of them had survived. Their first was a boy, whose heart gave out only a few hours after his birth. The second had been a miscarriage. When Korra was born, it was a miracle. Then upon finding out she was the Avatar, they were overjoyed, but somewhat worried about the trials they would soon face.

The night the Order of the White Lotus showed up to discover their search would be over, they hadn't been expecting what came next. Being the Avatar, Korra was never going to live a normal life, but the extent of her exclusion from the world, had been far from anything they had prepared for. The OWL (Order of the White Lotus) had decreed that Korra was to travel back to their headquarters with them, where she would receive training, education, and protection. Tonraq and Senna were now going to loose their only living child. It broke their hearts. Of course, she would be able to visit them, but it was never often enough, never long enough.

Young Korra would live with their parents for another couple of years with her parents before she was to be taken away, but she was often visited by the OWL. They kept a watchful eye on the Avatar and her family until the fateful day came. At six years old the young water tribe girl would leave behind everything she knew. She was kept under strict rules, given harsh punishments, worked and trained till exhaustion, and was excluded from any social activity. She rarely set foot in any village, town, or city. The OWL headquarters was located in a desolate area, so even when Korra could escape the confinements of the OWL, it was an hour to the nearest town by satomobile. The only reward she'd ever received, was Naga, who happened to be her best, and only friend.

Of course Korra resisted. She was naturally a rebellious , reckless, and tireless child. She ignored the rules, become unfocused too often, fought back, sassed back, and was often punished. However, through it all, she became strong. The stronger she got, the better she did in training, and the better she became at mastering the elements. This was where the OWL was lenient. While they worried about her spiritual side, they never doubted her physical connection to the elements. When it came time, they brought her back to the South Pole, back to live with her parents, at the age of fifteen. There she was under the watchful eye of Katara, who in comparison to the OWL, had much more compassion and understanding to the girl's feelings and allowed Korra much more freedom than she had been given.

It had taken a while to adjust to being around people. She'd had very little contact with anyone besides the members of the OWL, a few other masters, and townspeople who'd she'd come in contact with a few times. Adjusting to the life of a regular teenager was difficult, but it was made impossible when everyone found out she was the Avatar. Due to that, she never made any real friends, sure she was liked by most because of her daring, reckless, and sarcastic attitude, but in truth, she was alone. Naga was her only true friend.

For the next two years, Korra would spend as much time as she could getting to know her parents, better than she had been able to before, and developing her Avatar skills, by helping out when needed. Of course, the OWL was still present in her life, often showing up to examine her and check in on her life to assure she was fulfilling her duty. When she reached the age of seventeen, she endured the examine that would determine the next adventure of her life. Once it had been concluded that she had mastered all she could in the three elements of water, earth, and fire, it was time to send her on her way to learn airbending and develop a better spiritual connection. It was time to visit Tenzin.

* * *

**It goes into much more detail about her life in the OWL headquarters, this was more of a quick description of the story. Feel free to leave any comments, critique, or suggestions for upcoming chapters. Hozukimaru11 out . . . **


End file.
